Anxiety is one of the most prevalent mental health problems; it is known to impede cognitive functioning. It is believed to alter preferences for feedback-based learning in anxious and non-anxious learners. Thus, the present study measured feedback processing in adults (N = 30) with and without anxiety symptoms using a probabilistic learning task.…

Purpose: The objective of the current study was to investigate the short-term test-retest reliability of contralateral suppression (CS) of click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) using commercially available otoacoustic emission equipment. Method: Twenty-three young normal-hearing subjects were tested. An otoscopic evaluation, admittance…

Virtual and augmented reality have seen increasing employment for teaching within medical and health sciences programs. For disciplines such as physiology and anatomy, these technologies may disrupt the traditional modes of teaching and content delivery. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis is to evaluate the impact of virtual…

Background: Lithium is well described in managing certain mental illnesses including in people with intellectual disabilities (ID). It requires regular monitoring particularly of serum levels and relevant biochemistry. However, existing monitoring protocols do not provide ID-specific guidance leading to increased risk of poor-quality care. This…

Formative assessments have been shown to improve student success; however, the format in which these assessments are implemented has not been well researched. In this study, individual Anatomy and Physiology lab sections were administered formative assessments composed of either a projected (i.e. 'shared-display') quiz presentation or a…

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rice University canceled classes for the week of March 9-13, 2020 and shifted all instruction to online only following spring break. For the second half of the semester, animal physiology was taught exclusively over Zoom. Here we describe how a flipped teaching format that was used before the pandemic eased the…

Purpose: The aim of the study was to update our information regarding the salpingopharyngeus (SP) muscle using cadaveric and in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. Primary objectives were to (a) observe the presence/absence of the muscle and (b) quantify and describe its dimensions and course. Method: SP specimens from 19 cadavers (10…

Purpose: Previous studies show that there is increased brain activity after exercise, leading to improved word recall in adults. The aim of this study was to examine whether different types of exercise (i.e., aerobic vs. anaerobic) may also lead to improved performance during vocabulary learning in children. Method: A total of 48 participants (24…

Remote teaching can be both challenging and motivating. Professors and lecturers have developed innovative strategies to improve students' education and engage students in synchronous and asynchronous classes. In this Illuminations paper, we describe BodyWorks, online tools to support courses in physiology, motor control, and biomechanics. The…

Sleep deprivation in healthy adults has been associated with disrupted autonomic nervous system function, which in turn has been linked to cardiovascular health. High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) may affect both sleep and cardiac autonomic modulation. Purpose: To investigate the impact of acute partial sleep deprivation on autonomic cardiac…

Longitudinal measurement enables the examination of behavioral or psychological change. One approach to examining longitudinal measurements is the use of latent growth curve modeling (LGCM). This approach affords the assessment of inter- and intraindividual change. Yet, this approach likely is underused in exercise science. The purpose of the…

We investigated whether daily experiences of conflict with family and peers were associated with fluctuations in diurnal cortisol, and whether sleep buffers the associations between conflict and diurnal cortisol. A racially diverse sample of 370 adolescents (ages 11-18; 57.3% female) provided daily diaries for 5 days and saliva samples for 4 days.…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may demonstrate atypical autonomic (ANS) responses; however, research remains inconsistent. This study examined parasympathetic response during social evaluation in 241 youth (10-13 years) with ASD (n = 138) or typical development (TD; n = 103). Diagnosis, age, pubertal development, and body mass…

Purpose: As new technologies such as immersive and augmented platforms emerge, training approaches are also transforming. The virtual reality (VR) platform provides a completely immersive learning experience for simulated training. Despite increased prevalence of these technologies, the extent literature is lagging behind in terms of evaluating…

Although there is increased uptake of active learning approaches in especially developed countries, this is still lagging within the African context. The current study therefore focused on the implementation of group learning at Stellenbosch University, with several modifications versus our earlier, pilot study. Students freely formed small groups…